


Anatomize

by EarlGreyLeaf



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2008-05-04
Updated: 2011-11-26
Packaged: 2017-10-26 13:46:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/283898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EarlGreyLeaf/pseuds/EarlGreyLeaf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Naruto is having trouble coping with being the Kyuubi's vessel. Sasuke begins to notice something a little off-color about the blonde. One day, Naruto goes too far, and it seems it could be too late to save him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Reposted from my FF.net account. Comments are highly appreciated! :]
> 
> Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.

**.:Anatomize:.**

 **-Prologue-**

 _  
**To Anatomize - To expose underlying structure by separating into pieces.**   
_

Another long slash.

Another hiss of pain.

A thick crimson line oozed freely in the kunai's wake, trailing down and dripping sluggishly off of his arm. The inflamed flesh bore faded tokens of the many time before this, the many time he had literally opened himself to the world. The porcelain bathroom sink was marred with little rivulets of red. His brain flared with emotions, dark ideas suggested to him by invisible presences. He pressed the sharp object to the tender skin once more, and let it slide. Those murmuring voices clawed at the back of his skull, scratching loose his most hurtful memories.

 _Stay away._

 _Don't touch him._

 _He's not safe._

He cursed under his breath. He hated them. All of them. He say every disgusted glance thrown his way...heard every not-so-quiet comment behind cupped hands...

The darting eyes...

The nervous hustling...

That _thing_...The demon sealed away inside his body, the root of it all. If it hadn't been him...if it had been someone else, he could have been normal.

 _That boy._

 _He's dangerous._

 _Don't talk to him, maybe he'll go away._

He growled in frustration, clutching his head and willing them to just _shut up._ But they kept persisting, _whispering_... His heart couldn't last like this, it was so weak now. He was being ripped apart from the inside out. Hollow aqua eyes gazed down at the wounds, figures flashing through his mind. His 'friends', the ones who were forced to be around him, and the few in Rookie Nine he had managed to make. Most of the transient images encompassed that one person. The one who tugged at his heart with every glance, and fogged his brain with every word.

He scoffed at himself. What was he thinking? Did he even deserve love? Could he even love at all?

 _Demons can't love._

He let the memories flood his body, carrying him away to a hidden sanctuary somewhere deep in his mind. Ebony hair like silk, the darkest onyx eyes, piercing...captivating... Swift, fluid movements... Pale, alabaster skin... His only distraction, the simple complexity of their rivalry.

 _Freak._

 _Demon._

 _  
**Monster.**   
_

* * *


	2. Papier-Mâché

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bout of training goes awry, and Naruto goes AWOL.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter after this, I think.
> 
> Comments are highly appreciated!

Sakura's incessant yammering was beginning to try his patience. The pink-haired kunoichi stood on tip-toe in front of him, arms clutched tightly to her non-existent chest. The Uchiha sighed, looking anywhere but at the garish form talking him out of his sanity. he folded his arms, wishing Naruto and their idiotic sensei would arrive sometime in the next few seconds, before he throttled her.

As he focused his attention on the water flowing below, her voice began to fade from his abused ears. The river was crystal blue, and gentle, allowing for small rock fish and trout to gather, swimming lazily in small paterns at the bottom. The current rippled the almost transparent surface, sending light flares into his eyes. Vibrant, full of life, and nurishing to the body and soul… It almost reminded him of someone…

 _You could capture the liquid…_

 _However, that beautiful, pulsing energy would dissintegrate instantly._

It seemed he could recall hearing that this river flowed north, pooling in a valley somewhere between the countries of Fire and Rice, before emptying into the ocean. He shruged mentally. Obstruse valleys hidden in a No-Man's-Land didn't concern him, unless they housed a certain S-class missing-nin.

His thought process was broken by the sound of soft footsteps coming their way. He looked up from the river, and spyed an orange-clad figure padding towards the bridge. Naruto, of course. But it was odd that he would arrive so late… Usually, he even managed to beat Sakura to their meeting place. Sasuke glanced up at the sun. He was over an hour behind. Not that it mattered anyway, since Kakashi was never there on time, either.

The blonde didn't even raise his eyes as he trudged up, hands buried deep in his pockets. He stopped, and leaned back against the railing a few feet away from the Uchiha, never making eye contact.

 _Strange…_

Finally, Sakura's attention was on something else, and relief flooded the Uchiha's veins. The kunoichi peered curiously at the blonde teen, "Naruto, why are you are you so late? You know, if Kakashi-sensei was here, you'd be in trouble for not showing up when you're supposed to."

He mumbled some incoherent reply, mouth barely moving. Sakura cocked her head to the side, surveying him with her pale-green eyes, brows knitting together in concentration. Sasuke watched with interest, face smooth and unconcerned. Uchihas did not showcase their emotions, remaining cool and calm in all situations.

 _Yet…_

 _What was that twinge in his stomach…?_

Naruto, as if he had perceived the other male's thoughts, lifted his gaze to meet his inspecting onyz orbs directly. They narrowed, "What is it, _teme?_ "

There was a bitterness in the blonde's voice. Sasuke merely shook his head and sighed, looking back to the river.

After continuing in this fashion for close to another twenty painstaking-minutes, a resounding 'poof' boomed through the air. Two of the three heads shot up, eyes falling on the crouched figure of their sensei resting upon the topmost rail of the bridge's archway, toting his trademark copy of _Icha Icha Paradise_. He reached up, burying his hand in that mess of silver-grey hair, "Sorry about that… I just happened to get lost-"

"Don't give us that!," Sakura flared immediately, "We've been out here for over an…"

The girl paused mid-tirade, realizing that hers was the only voice pervading their ears. Eyes wide, she swiveled around to Naruto, searching for her usual back-up.

None came.

Kakashi looked on, curiosity in his one visible eye. He, too, had noticed the peculiarity in Naruto's behavior lately. The boy had been growing quieter by the day for two weeks now. He had developed a shell, a new more pensieve look etched into his youthful features. Kakashi's black eye stared down the boy lazily, scanning every minute detail. Naruto, knowing the man's gaze wa on him, instantly tensed, and shifted his weight. He tugged his sleves down over his hands, folding his arms over his chest, and looked off to the side.

Sighing, Kakashi clapped his hands together, "Well, let's get to it then…"

+++++

Panting, and covered in layers of dirt and perspiration, Sasuke leaned against his arboreal perch. He kept his eyes on the shadowed forest floor sixty feet below, like a sentry, watching for any hint of his offensively bright orange and yellow persuer. He placed a palm against the thick, firm trunk, balancing himself, and began tallying his injuries. A large cut just above his left elbow… His knees were scraped and stinging… And multiple bruises covered his legs and arms.

The Uchiha brushed flecks of soil from the wounds, not keen on an infection of any sort. Only half of his chakra supply remained, enough for just a few good jutsu. After that, he had only his physical strength to rely on.

His thoughts strayed on the subject of his blonde opponent. The teen was acting so abnormal. He hardly ever spoke, unless calling out a jutsu, and he was withdrawing to himself more than could be healthy for someone like him. Sakura had tried to pry an explanation from him, rather pushily, and it had resulted in an explosive argument with no answers, and Naruto hadn't uttered another word for the rest of the day. They had never seen him so angry at one of their own. He had turned into some form of 'Anti-Naruto,' and Sasuke hated to admit it, but it worried him.

"-maki Barrage!"

 _Damn…!_

Sasuke barely had enough time to side-step, shocked from his meditation, as said person came crashing down through the thick canopy above him. The bark splintered and shattered from the impact, exactly where he would have been standing, if he had not managed to swing around to the underside, feet connected by a stream of chakra. Before Naruto could recover, the raven-haired boy quickly swung back upwards behind his teammate, and landed a punch right in the center of his spine. He flew forward into the tree trunk, where Sasuke spun and pinned him, arms above his head.

Naruto glared fiercely, "Teme…! Let me go!" He squirmed violently, trying to escape.

Sasuke tightened his hold. He had no intentions of letting the boy go _anywhere_. As the cerulean orbs narrowed at him, Sasuke voiced his previous thoughts, "Dobe, what is your _problem?_ ," he hissed, staring straight into those angry blue eyes, "Why have you been acting so strange?"

Naruto's body stiffened slightly, "What are you talking about, teme?," he replied in a low voice.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, sighing, "Don't lie to me, dobe." he said, irritation creeping into his voice, "You know what I mean."

Sasuke could almost see the wals shoot up around the blonde. Naruto's eyes shot icy daggers at him, his face hardening over in anger. His voice was dangerously quiet, "It's none of your business."

"Dobe, you're making it my business!"

The words slipped through Sasuke's lips before he even realized it. His eyes widened, and he felt a faint heat to his face. He averted his eyes.

Cornflower eyes widened momentarily.

But Naruto soon regained himself. Before Sasuke could defend himself, Naruto twisted and kicked his captor in the stomach, knocking his breath away. Sasuke released him instinctually. Cerulean eyes looked directly into the onyx orbs of his teammate.

"Stop calling me that!"

And Sasuke couldn't help but think they looked blurred.

The Uchiha gasped for oxygen, falling to a crouch, bracing himself on the branch, eyes wide. Taking his chance, Naruto turned and leapt from their perch, dissappearing into the thick, emerald foliage.

He was crying.

+++++

The pain was verging on excruciating. Thick streams of wine-red flowed across his skin, spiraling down the drain. He was covered in a panicked sweat, his heart thrashing against his ribcage. The air felt heavy…

 _Pressurizing him…_

 _Suffocating him…_

The voices were shrieking in his skull, roused from dormancy. Their hushed proposals hissed in his ears, growing more vile as each minute passed. The boy could feel himself slipping, his will deteriorating and succumbing to the slow but sure insanity that would eventually erode his mind.

 _You can't stop now…_

 _Just one more cut…_

 _One more rip…_

He knew it was wrong. He knew it was sick. It just felt so _good,_ so _freeing_ … Like all of his sins he never knew he had committed were escaping with every carmine drop.

The flesh had still been swollen beneath the stained gauze, thinly sealed from the night before. It had seemed so inviting, welcoming the keen weapon to its warm embrace.

 _Welcoming it home._

It didn't take much, just a simple incision, and he was rewarded with a small line of the red substance concealed beneath.

It was the raven-haired teen that drove him to it. Who did the teme think he was, trying to pry into his business? He didn't deserve to know. That bastard didn't even know what he did to him. The Uchiha was too preoccupied with looking down on him, degrading him at every opportunity, or ignoring him altogether. If he ever saw this hidden self, hidden away in that obscure prison inside him, the Uchiha would never come near him again.

 _And that would crush him._

When they were sparring was the only time the blonde could get close enough, sneak a brush of the hand, an admiring glance… He reveled in the moment. It was the only time the Uchiha's focus was truly on him. It was like an intricate dance, of sorts. Rapid, precise movements in a trance-like state of mind. The training ground would fade away as they twisted, convened, and clashed in mid-air. They left each other breathless, pausing only for moments before they pounced on one another once more.

 _Filthy beast._

 _You don't deserve him._

 _He would never stoop so low._

The blonde screamed in desperation as his peaceful thoughts were shattered into thousands of glittering, hopeless pieces. The tears had long ago spilled over, but he made no move to wipe them away, leaving trails below his glassy, swollen eyes. His breath shuddered as he dared to look into the medicine-cabinet mirror. An entirely different person now stared back, a devoid shell of what he had been.

 _What had become of him?_

He was papier-mâché. The outside could be as beautiful as he wanted it to seem, decorated extravagantly in all manner of rich and lovely things. He could be dripping in gold, but what lay underneath had always simply been paper.

Plain, unwanted, and unnecessary.

All he had done was merely peel off the layered façade, strip by strip…

Leaving emotions outlined tangibly on his skin.

For all the world to see.


End file.
